Tom & Eliza
by Celine Song
About Tom & Eliza
Tom & Eliza is a dual meditation on the choices we make (and those we don't) in a world that spins relentlessly into the future. Performed in one long breath by two virtuosic actors, TUTA Co-Artistic director Aileen Wen McGroddy directs the Chicago premiere of this idiosyncratic work by Celine Song, writer of Oscar-nominated film Past Lives and recently-released Materialists.
Chicago Reader Recommended, 3 stars from The Chicago Tribune, Jeff Recommended, and extended due to popular demand
CAST
Clifton Frei as Tom
Seoyoung Park as Eliza
PRODUCTION
Director: Aileen Wen McGroddy
Scenic and Costume Designer: Tatiana Kahvegian
Lighting Designer: Keith Parham
Sound Designer: Alex Trinh
Stage Manager: Becky Warner
Assistant Director: Amy Gorelow
Production Manager: Helen Lattyak
Scenic Construction: Tom Daniel
Photos by Candice Conner of Oomphotography
TUTA Theatre Chicago, 2025
“Under McGroddy’s direction, the dissolution of the marriage and of the characters themselves feel both otherworldly and mundane as water and fire threaten to engulf them. ”
“Striking design work
and deft delivery of the play’s unconventional dialogue”
“This entire production is an example of elegant stage craft... that will be appreciated by those willing to take a risk to enjoy something a little out of the ordinary.”
“This thoughtful, provoking piece, despite the darkness of the message, left me with a feeling of awe of what theater can do. ”
“In Tom & Eliza, McGroddy, in her role as director, plays with the texture of theatrical language, both of spoken text and scenic design, and how they collide, a sensibility that extends across her collaborations with costume and scenic designer, Tatiana Kahvegian, and lighting designer, Keith Parham. ”
———— Warning: Spoilers Below ————
“One final note: Kahvegian and Parham’s designs really pay off toward the end of the play, culminating in some delightfully atmospheric images. ”
“A symphony of performance that concludes with a single gesture that is as heartbreaking as it is perfect”
“I audibly gasped”
